Restore the bonds of brotherhood, Pope urges audience
February 18, 2015
At his weekly public audience on February 18, Pope Francis continued his series of talks on the family, speaking about the bonds that tie together brothers and sisters.
Remarking that “being brothers and sisters is beautiful,” the Pope went on to say that when those bonds are broken, “it leads to something that is truly ugly.” Citing the story of Cain and Abel, he said that the broken bonds lead to hatred and death.
The Pope asked his audience to pray for those families that have been torn apart by quarrels. “Let’s ask the Lord to help us to reunite these families—to rebuild these families.”
The bonds of brotherhood, the Pope said, can be established beyond the family:
Just think of what this bond between men, even very different from each other, becomes when they can say to another: "He is like a brother to me, she is like a sister to me"! This is beautiful!
That feeling of fraternity, the Pope said, is the best counterbalance to the impersonal forces of a bureaucratic society. Within the context of brotherly ties, he said, “liberty and equality will also acquire the correct tone.”
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Further information:
- General audience: Brother, sister: words beloved to Christianity (VIS)
- Pope at Audience: We are our brother's keeper (Vatican Radio)
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